TNE:What does the future hold

    Suject:  TNE: What does the future hold?
    From  :  Jeff Freeman

I thought that the direction in which The Viral-Imperium was
headed had already been decided -- just from reading the TNE
rulebook.

I refer to the shaded box of background blurbs on page 82.

Here's what I learned from this:

One, The Regency outlives the Star Vikings.  The first entry
is from "Regency Sector Governor..." and speaks of the Star
Vikings in the past tense.  This with the date NE 44.

Two, Dr. Elinor speaks of the Star Vikings, also in the past
tense (NE 135).  The striking thing about this entry is the
location of the source:  Diaspora!

Lastly, all four entries are *defending* the Star Vikings'
methods (or at least, their motives) -- from what?  General
consensus or popular opionion is my guess.

Observation:  If the Star Vikings fight the Regency (and I
agree completely, they must!) then the winner will go down in
history as "the good guys".  They will need no defense by
acadamians such as these.  The losers, apparently the RC,
would be vilified... to the point that some generations later
scholars would feel the need to set the record straight.

Compare:  American Indians.  For several generations,
Indians were regarded as Evil savages, (cowboys were held as
icons of virtue).  Only in the past 10 or so years have there
been attempts to paint the Indian's as noble environmentalists.
Probably the Indians were more like people, with good and
bad -- but the point is that the settlers *won*, and therefore
needed no moral defense.  They were recorded as "The Good
Guys".  Had the Indians succeeded in pushing Europeans from
American soil, no doubt the situation would be opposite.

From these background blurbs it seems clear that the Regency
must have swept down and reclaimed The Imperium -- in a matter
of 45 years!?  In only 135 years the push was on to honor the
Star Vikings as something other than plundering murderers.

In away, this is good news for the "Down with TNE, Long Live
the Imperium" crowd.  Push ahead 50 years and your beloved
Imperium is back... slightly more democratic (q.v. Changes in
the Regency), but The Imperium nontheless.